


Stargazing

by Madelief



Series: Alpha and Omega bonus bits and bobs [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2018-05-04 23:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5351999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madelief/pseuds/Madelief
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is in response to a Tumblr prompt for my OC Leaena Trevelyan and Cullen Rutherford - kiss in the wilderness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stargazing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [infiltraitorN7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/infiltraitorN7/gifts).



> This inspired me to revisit a part of my story just before Adamant - something I wanted to do but didn't have the opportunity to explore then. So the chapters relating to it are [Chapter 62 - Reunion](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4214223/chapters/10449864) and [Chapter 63 - Longest Day](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4214223/chapters/10487328). I loved being taken back to an earlier part of my story. Thank you so much for the prompt!

It was still dark when he awoke, automatically reaching over to pull her closer as he relaxed back to sleep again.

Except she wasn’t there.

Cullen sat up with a start, realising the warm, soft body that he had so badly missed holding to sleep at night was missing.

His initial panic was calmed, however, when he sensed Leaena in the distance. It wasn’t surprising she’d struggled to sleep, even though she was exhausted from the hideousness of their separation over the last few weeks. Not to mention what she’d revealed to him once he’d finally found the courage to be honest with her.

Right now, she was alone, not wanting to be yet still unsure of asking him for anything. That fact alone made him wince as he hastily threw some clothes on. Dragging his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tidy himself up, he abandoned the attempt in the overriding need to mitigate the ache of loneliness he could feel from her – loneliness that he echoed right back.

_I miss us._

It was a couple of days after his arrival in the Western Approach, which had finally put an end to their vicious argument that had raged for too long. They were still hesitant – the bitter words neither of them meant, but hurled at each other anyway, not something that could be brushed under the carpet. Both of them danced around the subject, fearful of hurting the other, the wounds caused by the malevolence of Leaena’s nemesis smarting still

Although, given where they'd left off, everything was now a thousand times better. As Cullen rapidly made his way down the stairs and outside the keep, he sent a quick prayer to the Maker that he at least had her back. Even at the peak of their anger, the mere suggestion of being apart had been intolerable – just as it was now.

Nodding absently to the guards as he passed through the main gates, he knew Leaena wasn’t far away. The sand crunched under his boots as he made his way to the same ruins where the Inquisitor had shown him exactly just how much of an idiot he was for disbelieving her, thoroughly putting him in his place as he’d deserved.

She'd trounced him in a sparring session that had been emotionally and physically brutal for them both, finally forcing him to yield with her dagger pushed so hard against his throat she’d yet again drawn blood.

_I have never been more proud of her than at that moment._

The kiss that had followed immediately after his capitulation had been punishing, and so passionate in its intensity Cullen had been hard pushed to not roll her over and make love to her there and then. He’d only just remembered what she’d been through because of him, shame at his behaviour all through those months hitting him again hard in his stomach.

Leaena had been breathless as she’d slowly pushed herself upright, shaking, fatigued, bloodied and bruised. Her hair had been a tangled mess, with smudges under her eyes where sweat had left streaks of black and red down her face, mingled in with the cuts he’d put there.

_She looked stunning._

A blanket of stars glittered brightly in the midnight-blue sky, their brilliance lighting up the barren landscape and giving it a haunted beauty that hid the parched harshness of the day. Crickets in the distance and the odd rustle of the breeze was all that could be heard as he ground to a halt.

The breathtaking view of the desert wilderness was wasted on Cullen, who was completely focussed on the figure huddled up on top of a crumbling wall, staring up into the inky blackness. He knew she would be marking out the constellations, something she did when she couldn’t sleep and the skies were clear enough.

She knew, of course, that he was there – badly wanting to call him over to join her but too scared to do so given the thoroughly unwelcome awkwardness that now existed between them. On top of it all, Leaena knew that he knew just how foolish she felt for having any reluctance, making her burn with frustration.

Taking a deep breath, he walked over, relieved at least to know his presence wouldn’t be unwanted. He was afraid to touch her, afraid to cross a line that would ruin something very special between them, reduced to nothing more than a base physical act. She was worth so much more, and it was up to him to show her and regain her trust.

‘It’s the perfect night for stargazing. Do you mind if I join you?’ Cullen kept his tone light as he came to a halt near her, stilling himself to patience.

Leaena was hidden in her cloak, the hood still up as she said nothing, simply gesturing for him to sit. He arranged himself next to her, able to feel the heat of her body amidst the welter of confusion that radiated from her. With a sigh, she reached up and pushed back the thick black cloth, Cullen able to see even in this poor light the red that was staining her cheeks.

‘I didn’t mean to wake you,’ she replied softly, still not looking at him as she fiddled with her cuff. ‘I’m sorry. You need to rest.’

‘You do too. I am not the only one with nightmares, my lady.’ His words tailed off into the darkness, wishing fervently he had the courage to do something as simple as take hold of her hand.

As ever, Cullen found it impossible to not stare at her in admiration, the fading yellow from the bruises and the swelling on her lip in no way detracting from just how lovely she was. Her fair skin was tanned from weeks of fighting in the blistering rays, whilst her pale blonde hair had streaks of white, bleached from the sun.

‘They are better now you’re back,’ she blurted out abruptly into the stillness.

Cullen was then rewarded with a shy smile and the glimpse of sapphire blue between long black eyelashes before she blushed furiously and bit her lip, wincing as her teeth hit a tender spot. ‘I just felt – you were sleeping and I didn’t want to bother you with my silly concerns.’

‘Nothing of yours is a silly concern. I know this is the strangest position we may have found ourselves in yet, but you can always tell me anything. That never changed, you know.’ Even at the height of his hurt and rage, the letters supposedly from her at their most spiteful and vindictive, Cullen knew he would have dropped everything and ridden night and day if she’d asked just to do her bidding.

‘I know.’ Leaena didn’t speak further for a moment, staring up at the stars once more as she abruptly changed the subject. ‘Look – Toth. Can you make it out?’

Cullen obligingly squinted at the sky, his eyes adjusting to the mass of tiny lights as he realised immediately what else had her so upset. ‘Now I can, yes. Quite appropriate too, given everything that’s happening.’

‘You are far too perceptive. I should know by now that trying to hide anything from you is pointless.’ A slow sigh escaped her as she kicked her boots against the loose masonry, idly watching it fall.

‘We will prevail against Erimond’s Grey Warden army, you know. Our soldiers are eager for victory. The Inquisition is ready for this and we will not fail you.’ Of this, he was certain – it was what he had been preparing for all these months, and reassuring her had never seemed so important than it did right now. ‘We will deny Corypheus his demon army.’

‘It is not you I doubt, Cullen, nor the army – which, by the way, you have done a wondrous job of building. The magister’s minions don’t stand a chance, sad though I am to go to war against an order I believe so strongly in. But you are right. It is on my mind, for more reasons than the obvious.’

The uncertainty was back in Leaena as she stared down at her feet, unable once more to meet his eyes.

He waited, not wanting to interrupt her even though it was becoming increasingly difficult not to pick her up and carry her all the way back to bed so she could rest. She was toned and fit, but she was too thin from weariness and heartbreak, Cullen well aware that she was too scared to sleep even with him there.

‘I keep saying this, but I missed you. I still do. I should have known that – that you would never – Maker save me, when did this get so fucking complicated? I just want to be with you,’ Leaena muttered irritably as she flamed red, looking mortified.

‘I missed you too,’ he said quietly, finally taking hold of her hand as he’d wanted to all evening, stroking the palm gently with his thumb. ‘Can I have a go at trying to explain instead?’

‘Be my guest. You can’t make a worse mess of it than me.’ Her answering smile was rueful as she unconsciously leant into him, making him feel absurdly pleased.

‘It’s as I said the other evening. It’s going to be strange between us for a while – there’s months of hurt that we have to find our way around.’ She became more composed as he carried on circling her palm, thinking through his next words carefully. ‘I feel odd too – at night, when you’re tucked up on my chest? It’s the only time of day when I forget what’s happened. Then it’s just me and you, no one else. Then the real world intrudes and I find I’m scared of talking to you, in case I cause you pain.’

‘You don’t though,’ she whispered, her eyes luminous with unshed tears that seared his heart to see her so sad. ‘I know you’ll never hurt me, just as you know I will never hurt you. I am not the only one who has to accept that, am I? I love you, Cullen. At the end of the day, that is all that truly matters.’

He couldn’t help himself any longer, desperate for even the most simple of touches to ease the desolation he felt at just how far they had drifted apart. Cullen used one thumb to smooth away the tears that had started to fall, his other hand stroking strands of hair away from her face. Words couldn’t express the depth of his devotion and adoration for Leaena, this unique and perfect creature that had changed his life and given him so much more than he’d ever dreamt possible.

Before he knew it, he’d started to kiss her – once, twice, then unable to stop himself from seeking more to erase the distance that still lingered between them. Her sigh of contentment as her lips immediately parted, her hand snaking into his hair, made him fight for every inch of self-control. That she was as much in need of him as he was her said far more than lengthy speeches ever could. His mouth was gentle on hers, the hint of berries mixed in with the tang of salt from her tears all he could taste, feeling her shiver underneath each caress of his tongue.

It was a kiss of healing, of a love with foundations so solid they would never be shaken. There was no better way for him to show her that he would never leave, no matter what was thrown up for them to face. She was his everything, his reason for being and he would never doubt her again.

As her arms wrapped around her neck and she drew herself in to mould against his body, Cullen smiled, lifting his head to drop a kiss on her nose, pulling her close against him in a tight embrace.

‘I love you too,’ he murmured into her neck, taking such pleasure in having Leaena in his space once more. ‘It will be alright, I promise. We will take this slowly.’

‘You feel so good. I don’t want to move from here.’ Her voice was muffled into his shoulder as she pressed light kisses against his neck, heat spreading from the centre of his chest across his entire body. ‘And I know we will. I just – I don’t want the spell to be broken.’

‘The spell will be firmly in place no matter where we are. But - we don’t have to go anywhere right now.’ Cullen tilted her chin up with a finger, knowing exactly what she meant, perfectly happy to remain within the shadows of the night – far away from the real world. ‘Would you like to starwatch with me some more?’

Her beautiful smile was all the encouragement he needed. Her face pressed against his and looking to the heavens, Leaena started to trace constellations with her finger while he held her close.

Cullen hadn’t felt such contentment in a long time, finally allowing himself to relax as he joined in even as he realised just how much the little things could make all the difference. She was now laughing then at something he’d said, a sense of peace enveloping him, knowing all he needed was Leaena to make things right in his world once more.


End file.
